^19:36As⁹⁷ he rode along, they⁹⁸ spread their cloaks on the road. ^19:37As he approached the road leading down from⁹⁹ the Mount of Olives,¹⁰⁰ the whole crowd of his¹⁰¹ disciples began to rejoice¹⁰² and praise¹⁰³ God with a loud voice for all the mighty works¹⁰⁴ they had seen:¹⁰⁵^19:38“Blessed is the king¹⁰⁶ who comes in the name of the Lord!¹⁰⁷ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” ^19:39But¹⁰⁸ some of the Pharisees¹⁰⁹ in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”¹¹⁰^19:40He answered,¹¹¹ “I tell you, if they¹¹² keep silent, the very stones¹¹³ will cry out!”

Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem under Judgment

^19:41Now¹¹⁴ when Jesus¹¹⁵ approached¹¹⁶ and saw the city, he wept over it, ^19:42saying, “If you had only known on this day,¹¹⁷ even you, the things that make for peace!¹¹⁸ But now they are hidden¹¹⁹ from your eyes. ^19:43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build¹²⁰ an embankment¹²¹ against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. ^19:44They will demolish you¹²²—you and your children within your walls¹²³—and they will not leave within you one stone¹²⁴ on top of another,¹²⁵ because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”¹²⁶

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Footnotes

97 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
98 The disciples initiated this action (since in 19:35 and 37 they are the subject) but the other gospels indicate the crowds also became involved. Thus it is difficult to specify the referent here as “the disciples” or “people.”
99 Grk “the descent of”; this could refer to either the slope of the hillside itself or the path leading down from it (the second option has been adopted for the translation, see L&N 15.109).
100 See the note on the name Mount of Olives in v. .
101 Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here as a possessive pronoun ( ).
102 Here the participle χαίροντες (chairontes) has been translated as a finite verb in English; it could also be translated adverbially as a participle of manner: “began to praise God joyfully.”
104 Or “works of power,” “miracles.” Jesus’ ministry of miracles is what has drawn attention. See Luke 7:22.
105 Grk “they had seen, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
106 Luke adds the title king to the citation from Ps 118:26 to make clear who was meant (see Luke 18:38). The psalm was used in looking for the deliverance of the end, thus leading to the Pharisees’ reaction.
107 A quotation from Ps 118:26.
108 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context. Not all present are willing to join in the acclamation.
109 See the note on Pharisees in .
110 Teacher, rebuke your disciples. The Pharisees were complaining that the claims were too great.
111 Grk “and answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation to “He answered.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
112 Grk “these.”
113 This statement amounts to a rebuke. The idiom of creation speaking means that even creation knows what is taking place, yet the Pharisees miss it. On this idiom, see Gen 4:10 and Hab 2:11.
114 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
115 Grk “he.”
116 When Jesus approached and saw the city. This is the last travel note in Luke’s account (the so-called Jerusalem journey), as Jesus approached and saw the city before entering it.
117 On this day. They had missed the time of Messiah’s coming; see v. 44.
118 Grk “the things toward peace.” This expression seems to mean “the things that would ‘lead to,’ ‘bring about,’ or ‘make for’ peace.”
119 But now they are hidden from your eyes. This becomes an oracle of doom in the classic OT sense; see Luke 13:31–35; 11:49–51; Jer 9:2; 13:7; 14:7. They are now blind and under judgment (Jer 15:5; Ps 122:6).
120 Jesus now predicted the events that would be fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. The details of the siege have led some to see Luke writing this after Jerusalem’s fall, but the language of the verse is like God’s exilic judgment for covenant unfaithfulness (Hab 2:8; Jer 6:6, 14; 8:13–22; 9:1; Ezek 4:2; 26:8; Isa 29:1–4). Specific details are lacking and the procedures described (build an embankment against you) were standard Roman military tactics.
121 An embankment refers to either wooden barricades or earthworks, or a combination of the two.
122 Grk “They will raze you to the ground.” The singular pronoun you refers to the city of Jerusalem personified.
123 Grk “your children within you.” The phrase “[your] walls” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the city of Jerusalem, metaphorically pictured as an individual, is spoken of here.
124 (Not) one stone on top of another is an idiom for total destruction.
125 Grk “leave stone on stone.”
126 Grk “the time of your visitation.” To clarify what this refers to, the words “from God” are supplied at the end of the verse, although they do not occur in the Greek text. You did not recognize the time of your visitation refers to the time God came to visit them. They had missed the Messiah; see Luke 1:68–79.

Cross references

103 See 2:13, 20; Acts 2:47; 3:8–9.